Florida police chief willing to look the other way over beating of alleged sexual abuser

(Reuters) – A Florida police chief has caused a media stir by saying he is looking the other way after a father severely beat a man he caught sexually assaulting his 11-year-old son.

The father called Daytona Beach police on Friday to report he had interrupted his son being assaulted, and could be heard telling a dispatcher he left the attacker “nice and knocked out” and “in a puddle of blood” on the floor.

Raymond Frolander, 18, faces a felony sexual battery charge on a victim under 12-years-old, according to a police charging affidavit. The father had not been charged in the beating.

“We observed the defendant laying motionless on the living room floor with several knots on his face and bleeding from his mouth,” police wrote in the affidavit.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Michael Chitwood, asked by a local CNN affiliate whether he had any issue with the father’s actions, said: “Not as a police chief and not as a father.”

Media photos show pictures of Frolander severely beaten, with bloodied lips, bruises around his swollen eyes, and scratches on his neck.

Reuters could not independently confirm Chitwood’s statement. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.